This invention relates to an image recording device for recording an image on a photo-sensitive receding medium.
Such an image recording device has been proposed in the U.S. Ser. No. 50,313 filed on May 14, 1987 as a first exposure means forms a latent image responsive to image information on a sensitized drum, and a first developing means developes with toners a light-shield visible image corresponding to the latent image. The visible image is then transferred to a light-transmissive element consisting of an endless roll of a insulated transparent film by means of transfer means to be carried onto the photosensitive recording medium through movement of said light-transmissive element. A second exposure means shines the recording medium with a diffused light passed through the visible image on the light-transmissive element to form a latent image on the recording medium, which is then developed by a second developing means. In the above device, however, a light-shield visible image equal size to the image information is formed on the sensitized drum, which is then transferred to the transmissive element, and exposure by a second exposure means has taken place with the transmissive element closely joined to the recording medium. Accordingly, a latent image equal in size to the light-shield visible image is formed on the recording medium and developed to a visible image.
It is therefore required to make the dimensions equal in width of the sensitized drum, the transmissive element consisiting of the insulated transparent film and their associated components, which resulting in increased bulk and cost of the whole device. Not only that, required during operation is a large volume of toners as light shield materials and a sufficiently wide light-transmissive element for replacement, which resulting in high running cost.
Moreover, the wide sensitized drum as above has caused such problems as non-uniform sensitization along its width and irregular feed of toners in width during development by the first exposure means, the width of exposure light has tended to vary across the width of the sensitized drum because of differences of laser beam spot diameters in horizontal scanning direction which are due to varying lengths of optical path of the optical system. This has resulted in a difficulty in forming an image of uniform quality across the whole width of the recording medium.
Furthermore, the sheet-form light-transmissive element with such a greater width has tended to laterally skew and to slack or crease at the area exposed by the second exposure means. This has again caused a problem in quality of the image formed on the recording medium.